A day after four former Missouri High School track and field athletes captured the NCAA FCS national championship, three more captured the FBS national title. Michigan beat Washington to claim the College Football Playoff title game 34-13 in Houston, on Monday, January 8. The win capped a 15-0 season for the Wolverines, which will earn a trio of wide receivers Show-Me Staters championship rings.
Dale Chesson, Graduate Student, Wide Receiver
Ladue Horton Watkins HS '19, St. Louis, MO., Dartmouth
Dale Chesson qualified for state four years at Ladue. He was an All-State performer as a junior in the 4x100 and 4x400. Then as a senior in the Class 4 single-day state meet, Chesson and the Rams won 4x100 and 4x400 state titles in Washington. Chesson and the Rams also took 3rd in the 4x200 and he was 10th in the 100-meter dash.
After playing football and getting a degree from Dartmouth, Chesson transferred to Michigan to play football and began graduate school. Chesson followed in his brothers footsteps. Older brother Jehu was a star at Ladue and Michigan before being drafted by the Chiefs as a wideout.
Kendrick Bell, Freshman, Wide Receiver
Park Hill HS '23, Kansas City, MO.
Like Chesson, Kendrick Bell is a multiple-time All-State finishers whose older brother played wide receiver and was taken in the NFL draft.
Kendrick Bell played quarterback and was a high and long jumper at Park Hill. He earned two All-State medals for the Trojans, 6th in the high jump at the 2022 Class 5 state meet and taking 3rd in 2023. He finished with a high jump best of 2.03m.
Bell has moved to receiver at Michigan. Brother Ronnie Bell played wideout for the Wolverines and was a two-time captain. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft by the 49ers.
Fredrick Moore, Freshman, Wide Receiver
Cardinal Ritter College Prep, St. Louis, MO.
Fredrick Moore ran for Cardinal Ritter for a couple of seasons. Moore sprinted for the Lions before helping Ritter go undefeated and win a Class 4 State championship as a senior in football in 2022.
With the move to Ann Arbor, joined a deep wide receiver corps that includes Chesson and Bell. After a 15-0 freshman season for Michigan, Moore is now on a 29 game winning streak, undefeated for two straight seasons.